Plastic bag roll

ABSTRACT

A continuous roll of plastic bags are joined “mouth to mouth” and “bottom to bottom”. The bags are separated by sealed seams and perforations at their bottoms and by non-coinciding perforated lines at their mouths. The non-coinciding perforated lines may be sinusoidal inverses of each other in one embodiment.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to packaging bags which are storedand dispensed in rolls.

[0002] Rolls of packaging bags which are generally mounted on adispenser permits the user to tear off a bag, one at time, along astraight perforated line. By this method, the user is subjected tonormal and frequent problems such as identifying which end of the bag isthe opening; once the opening is finally located, the user experiencesthe added problem of separating the two layers of this material at theopening; once the bag is opened, the user then needs to close theopening after filling the bag with the desired items by using a fastenerdevice such as a twist tie, strap or similar gadget.

[0003] These fasteners are obtained from separate container which areoften empty or not readily available in the areas where the bags aredispensed

[0004] In U.S. Pat. No. 5,617,627 issued to Tenneco Packaging on Mar.18, 1997, easy open thermoplastic bags are disclosed which are dispensedfrom a roll. The bags are manufactured from a flattened tube ofthermoplastic material which may be distinctively severed alongindependently phase shifted sinusoidal oscillating paths down the centreof the collapsed tube. However, in this patent, a single bag cannot beconveniently torn off the roll as each segment of the roll is composedof two bags. Therefore, after a single segment has been severed, it mustthen be severed again into two separate bags.

[0005] In U.S. Pat. No. 5,246,110 issued to Greyvenstein on Sep. 21,1993, there is shown thermoplastic bags having an open mouth side whichdefines projecting tie parts that can be readily tied by hand. Althoughthis bag has an easily identifiable opening end, it does not permit easyseparation of the two layers of material at the opening. Therefore,there is a need in the art for a plastic bag roll which provides bagswhich are easy to open, the open end of which is easy to identify andwhich provides for projecting tie parts.

[0006] Therefore, there is a need in the art for a plastic bag rollwhich provides bags which are easy to open, the open end of which iseasy to identify and which provides for projecting tie parts.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

[0007] This invention provides a plastic bag roll which permits a userto tear off a bag, identify the opening, open and fill the bag and closethe opening more easily than with the prior art, while still dispensingpackaging bags by permitting the user to tear off a bag, one at a time,from the dispenser. The unevenness of the opening will permit the userto easily identify the opening. The wave design of the opening producestwo singleprotruding edges. This allows for easy separation by pullingthe protruding singleedges of the opening. In addition, the design ofthe opening of the bag with its two protruding edges, permits the userto tie the bag closed without resorting to the use of additionalfastening devices.

[0008] In the prior art, these bags are dispensed in a roll with astraight line perforation and one parallel seam establishing the outsideboundaries of each bag. The user has to pull the bag off, one at a time,identify the opening and separate the two layers of the material at theopening which are generally stuck together and, when the bag is filled,to search for a fastener to secure the opening.

[0009] These disadvantages can be overcome by separating the bags with awaveperforation for the two connected and consecutive openings. Thecorresponding bottoms of the bags are separated by two parallel straightseams or heat seals with a perforated straight line which is preferablyequidistant between these two seams.

[0010] The wave-shaped design of the opening permits the user toidentify the opening of the bag once torn off the roll while theprotruding edges of the opening allows the bag to be opened easily. Theprotruding edges can be used to tie the opening once the bag is filled,thus eliminating the need to provide other closing devices and thedispenser to contain these closing devices.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0011] An embodiment of the present invention will now be described withreference to the enclosed drawings in which:

[0012]FIG. 1 shows a plastic bag roll showing a single bag which may beseparated from the roll.

[0013]FIG. 2 shows a view of the plastic bag roll showing closed endseam (first separator) and the open end seam (second separator) of theroll.

[0014]FIGS. 2A and 2B show alternative configurations of the perforatedseparators.

[0015]FIG. 3 is a view of a single plastic bag severed from the roll.

[0016]FIG. 4 is a view of a full single plastic bag with the open endtied off.

[0017]FIG. 5 shows an alternative embodiment of the present invention.

[0018]FIG. 6 shows an alternative embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] The plastic bag roll of the present invention may be comprised ofa flattened tube of thermoplastic material which is divided into aplurality of plastic bags by a series of first and second separators.The first separator is a straight perforated line (4) which has a seam(3) on either side of it. The seam (3) is created by bonding the top andbottom layers of the tube together to seal the tube. The seam (3)becomes the closed bottom end of the bag once separated from the roll.The second separator comprises two perforated lines; one through each ofthe top and bottom layers of the flattened tube. The two perforatedlines do not coincide. The two separators are aligned substantiallyacross the flattened tube such that the individual bags created bytearing the roll apart at the separators are joined “mouth to mouth” and“bottom to bottom”. Preferably, the two perforated lines are sinusoidal,or substantially sinusoidal, and intersect at least once. Morepreferably, the first perforated line (5) is the sinusoidal inverse ofthe second perforated line (6), as is shown in the Figures, creating anuneven opening having protruding lobes (7) of material. These lobes (7)may be used to tie the bag closed once it is filled as is shown in FIG.4.

[0020] The present invention includes variations in sizes of the bag,types of pliable soft material, color of the material, shapes of the bagand other design features. In addition, the uneven opening of the bagcan have a variation of different shapes providing the protruding edgesare uneven enough to allow for the separation of the opening of the bageasily. Consequently, the shape of the perforated lines, andconsequently the shape of the protrusions (7) may vary withoutcompromising its design purpose. Alternative configurations of theperforated lines are shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. Tearing off a bag from aroll suspended on a dispenser adds to the efficiency but is not entirelynecessary.

[0021] In an alternative embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a roll(100) of plastic bags (102) is divided by separators (104) such that themouth (106) of individual bags is one lateral edge of the roll. In thisembodiment, the roll is not a flattened tube but is a single sheetfolded over onto itself. The roll may be formed from a flattened tubewhere one lateral edge has been cut. The lateral edge which has been cutand which forms the bag openings comprises an upper edge (108) and alower edge (110). The two edges (108, 110) do not coincide and arepreferably sinusoidal shaped and overlapped in the same manner as theperforated lines described above.

[0022] Each separator comprises a pair of parallel sealed seams (112)separated by a perforation (114). An individual bag (102) is separatedfrom the roll (100) by tearing the perforated line (114). The bottom(116) of the bag may be gusseted if desired.

[0023] As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, variousmodifications, adaptations and variations of the foregoing specificdisclosure can be made without departing from the teachings of thepresent invention.

1. A continuous roll comprising an elongate flattened tube of a thin,flexible material, separatable into a plurality of bags; said rollcomprising a first layer and a second layer; said roll having aplurality of first separators each comprising two seals where the firstand second layers are fused together along a line substantiallyorthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the tube and the two seals areseparated by a perforated line across both first and second layers; saidroll further having a plurality of second separators comprising a firstperforated line across the first layer and a second perforated lineacross the second layer wherein the first and second perforated lines donot coincide; wherein said first and second separators are spaced apartand alternate along the length of the roll.
 2. The roll of claim 1wherein the first and second perforated lines are substantiallysinusoidal lines that do not coincide and intersect at least once. 3.The roll of claim 2 wherein the first perforated line is the inverse ofthe second perforated line.
 4. A plurality of thermoplastic bags joinedtogether into an elongate continuous flattened tube having a first layerand a second layer wherein: (a) each bag has a closed end and a mouth;(b) each closed end abuts the closed end of an adjacent bag; (c) eachmouth abuts the mouth of an adjacent bag; (d) each pair of closed endsis separatable along a perforated line that is orthogonal to thelongitudinal axis of the tube and positioned between the closed ends;and (e) each pair of mouths is separatable along a first perforated linein the first layer and a second perforated line in the second layerwhere the first perforated line does not overlap the second perforatedline.
 5. The plurality of thermoplastic bags of claim 4 wherein thefirst and second perforated lines separating the mouths of adjacent bagsare substantially sinusoidal lines that intersect at least once.
 6. Theplurality of thermoplastic bags of claim 5 wherein the first perforatedline is the inverse of the second perforated line.